AFL trade deadline day: Bombers chase Coleman as Viney wait drags on
Essendon is making a late push for Brisbane's Keidean Coleman as the 2026 Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period races to its 7:30pm AEDT finish on Wednesday, October 14.
The window is simple. Clubs can swap players and draft picks, which are just the order numbers used at November's national draft. The lower the number, the earlier the selection. Paperwork has to be lodged by the deadline, although being in the queue by 7:30pm was considered good enough, according to ABC News.
Coleman is the late story. He requested a trade to Essendon on the Monday before the deadline. By deadline day, Essendon was offering no more than pick No. 27 to Brisbane for him, as reported in deadline-day coverage by Adelaide Now. Time is short.
Brisbane sent its key decision-makers to the league's trade base at Docklands in Melbourne for the final haggle. List boss Dom Ambrogio and footy boss Danny Daly both arrived on Wednesday, as noted by ABC News. The Age headlined its October 14 live coverage 'Bombers push to land star Lion'.
The other big wait is Jack Viney. The expectation on Wednesday was still that Melbourne's Viney would get to West Coast by the deadline. That deal has been circling for weeks. Essendon had shown early interest before the trade period opened on October 5, then West Coast emerged as the likely home for a late pick.
The hold-up is structure, not intent. Melbourne wants to package Viney and teammate Trent Rivers together to extract pick 23 from West Coast. West Coast wants to treat Viney as a separate deal and does not want to give up pick 23, according to ABC News. AFL.com.au had earlier reported the move was still expected despite delays over how it would happen.
Elsewhere, Geelong forward Gryan Miers looks more likely to stay than go. His manager Liam Pickering had said Miers would remain at the Cats, and ABC's deadline-day assessment leaned the same way. Hawthorn and Adelaide also arrived at Docklands with business involving Josh Goater and Nick Murray to sort.
One completed deal involving pick 5 changing hands was reported in deadline-day coverage. The biggest move of the period is already banked. Zak Butters joined the Western Bulldogs through a five-team mega trade in which Port Adelaide received four first-round picks, as covered in ABC News on October 9.
For fans, this means a frantic final hour. Deals agreed in principle still need signatures and lodgement. The trade period opened on October 5 after the free agency window of October 2 to 9, and it all shuts on Wednesday night. Watch the queue, not just the clock.
